The invention relates generally to dispensing a chemical product, and more particularly, to monitoring and controlling formulation of the chemical product.
Chemical products composed of various chemical concentrates may be used to clean or sanitize food and beverage production equipment and all associated environmental surfaces in plants that produce food and beverage products. To accomplish this, an on-site formulation system prepares a chemical product by combining one or more component chemical concentrates according to a specialized formula or plan. Conventional formulation systems typically formulate such chemical products from component chemical concentrates in response to instructions that are pre-stored locally on the formulation system.
Conventional formulation systems prepare chemical products using time-based methods to dispense component chemical concentrates to dispense locations wherein the component chemical concentrates combine at the dispense locations to form the chemical products. Such time-based methods for dispensing component chemical concentrates to dispense locations are indirect and may not provide proof of delivery of the component concentrates used to form the chemical products. As such, chemical products formulated by these chemical dispense systems may not be sold to clients on a true per-sale basis. Furthermore, time-based methods may yield inaccurate results if, for example, the supply of a particular component chemical concentrate is used up as the chemical product is being formed at the dispense location.
In accordance with the present invention, the above and other problems are solved by a flow-based chemical dispense system. Generally, the flow-based chemical dispense system formulates a chemical product using one or more component chemical concentrates. The component chemical concentrates are supplied from concentrate containers to a dispense hose having an outlet valve through which the concentrates are dispensed to the dispense location. The flow of component concentrates between the containers and the dispense hose is monitored by the flow-based chemical dispense system to measure volumetric information associated with each component chemical concentrate used to form the chemical product. The volumetric information is then used by the flow-based chemical dispense system to control formulation of the chemical product. The volumetric information is also analyzed and provided to authorized usersxe2x80x94operators and customersxe2x80x94such that the authorized users may monitor various aspects of system operation, such as, without limitation, proof of chemical concentrate delivery.
In accordance with an embodiment, the flow-based chemical dispense system includes a formulator, a fill station operably coupled to the formulator and a flow meter for monitoring flow of component chemical concentrates, i.e., chemical concentrates used to form a particular chemical product, to a dispense location. The dispense location may be either a point-of-use or a storage container, such as a jug situated in the fill station or a drum. In this embodiment, a dispense hose is coupled between the flow meter and the dispense location for direct discharge of the component chemical concentrates to the dispense location. The flow meter senses volumetric information associated with each component chemical concentrate dispensed through the dispense hose to form a specific chemical product.
In further accordance with this embodiment, the flow-based chemical dispense system includes a controller for analyzing the volumetric information sensed by the flow meter. Such an analysis may generate both chemical and account data related to the chemical product as well as each component chemical concentrate of the chemical product. Account data may be provided to authorized users for monitoring ancillary aspects of dispense operations, such as, without limitation, concentrate supply/demand, per-use characteristics, concentrate use relative to a given period of time and chemical product supply/demand. Chemical data may be used by the controller, or alternatively, monitored by an authorized user, for use in controlling chemical product formulation operations as the component concentrates are dispensed through the dispense hose to a dispense location wherein the chemical product is being formed.
In accordance with yet another embodiment, the flow-based chemical dispense system may further include a human-machine interface (HMI) having a graphical user interface (GUI) for facilitating user interaction with the system. In this embodiment, chemical and account data are defined using a web xe2x80x9cfront-endxe2x80x9d function, and are transferred via a file system through a universal communicator to the HMI. The universal communicator is coupled to the HMI thereby providing two-way data transfer from the HMI/GUI to and from a corporate server. As such, an embodiment of the present invention may be a client-server based computer architecture for dispensing component chemical concentrates to form a chemical product using a flow-based control system.
The computer architecture includes communication means for receiving data associated with the chemical product and the component chemical concentrates. This data may be, for example, chemical data or account data. As the component chemical concentrates are dispensed to the dispense location, feedback control is administered by the dispense control system as the control system receives measured volumetric information associated with the chemical product via a flow meter. By providing remote access to chemical data, the communication means enables a user to oversee formulation operations from a remote location thereby monitoring whether the chemical product is being formed with the proper chemical concentrates and the component chemical concentrates are being injected at the proper volumetric flow rate. By providing access to account data, the communication means allows for management control over the business and account aspects of chemical dispensing operations, such as, without limitation, inventory replenishment and monitoring of invoice-related matters.
Embodiments of the invention may be implemented as a computer process, a computing system or as an article of manufacture such as a computer program storage product or computer readable media. The computer program storage product may be a computer storage media readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program of instructions for formulating a chemical product using one or more component chemical concentrates. The computer program storage product may also be a propagated signal on a carrier readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process.
The great utility of the invention is formulation of a chemical product is monitored and controlled by a flow-based control system. As such, accurate proof of delivery of a given volume of component chemical concentrates allows the formulated chemical products to be sold using a conventional per-sale basis. Furthermore, chemical products may be more accurately formulated as flow-related information is provided back to the system during component concentrate dispensing, which typically occurs simultaneous to product formulation. These and various other features as well as advantages, which characterize the present invention, will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings.